Disposable and reusable diapers are both commonly used on young children and babies. Disposable diapers generally include a thin inner liner that is normally not absorbent and serves to conform to the shape of the wearer, an outer water impervious layer and an absorbent core sandwiched between the inner liner and the outer layer. Disposable diapers have been well received by mothers and fathers primarily because of their convenience and disposability. However, the number of diapers used by a typical baby during one day creates a large volume of garbage and a serious sanitation problem since most parents do not remove the feces from the diaper before disposing of the diaper. In addition, disposable diapers are relatively expensive. With the growing concerns for the environment, parents are looking to alternative diapers that are reusable, as well as less expensive.
Reusable cloth diapers have been designed attempting to incorporate some of the desirable characteristics of disposable diapers such as water impervious outer layers, highly absorbent liners and adjustable fasteners for a "one-size-fits-all" type of diaper. However, heretofore reusable cloth diapers have suffered from drawbacks that have limited their desirability among many parents.
For example, in order to approach the absorbence capacity of disposable diapers, that often use synthetic polymers to increase the absorbence capacity of the core, reusable cloth diapers require the use of multiple layers of woven cotton. As the number of layers increases, the time required to dry the diaper after laundering increases. If the diapers are hung to dry, the increased time is inconvenient and may require the purchase of extra diapers to maintain an adequate supply of clean, dry diapers. If the diapers are machine dried, longer drying times are required which translates into increased energy costs.
Another problem with cloth diapers arises when the feces is removed from the diaper by dipping it in a toilet. With cloth diapers, this causes the entire portion of the diaper dipped in the toilet to become wet. These wet diapers are messy and cumbersome to handle. Also, when stored prior to laundering, these wet portions, compared to the dry portions, are more susceptible to the growth of microorganisms.